The History of Thirumoola Nayanar

In the Growing-moon crowned Lord's mount kayilai being the lead of that very ancient abode of Lord showing the righteous path to the vishNu, braHma, indra and others is the n^an^dhi. One of his disciples, vEdhAs learnt sage who attained the eight great achievements beginning from aNimA wanted to visit and stay with sage agasthyar at the podhikai mountains in thamiz land. Worshiping the Lord at kEdhAr the sage praised the pashupati at Nepal. He reached the banks of the holy river ga.nga which as a small stream falls from His vast matted Hair glittering like the lightning. Bathing in the river he saluted the Lord's avimuththam abode and proceeded towards the South. Saluting the shrishailam of sha.nkara, he reached thirukkALaththi. Praising the enchanting Everlasting Lord at thirukkALaththi entered His dancing field Alavanam and bowed down to His raised foot. He came to kAnychi worshipping Lord EkAmbaranAthar. Involving in discussions with the yOga munis of that city he left in his journey and bowed down to the Black-throated Mercy at thiruvadhikai. He arrived in the Master of Dance's thillai. With his heart brimming with love he saw the dance of the Golden Beauty that acts making the matters to exist. Staying and saluting the Lord there for some time he came to the banks of river kAviri.

Bathing in the chill refreshing water of river kAviri he went into the Lord's abode AvaduthuRai. The yOgi praised in undiminishing love the Lord of pashus there. In spite of a feeling of not leaving that holy place emerging strongly he went out of the town continuing his journey towards podhikai. But in a short distance he saw the cows crying on the Cauvery bank. mUlan a herdsman who used to take care of the cows of the village chAththanUr died when he brought the cowherds for grazing on the banks of the river. The cows out of their affection for their herdsman went around his body smelling him, licking him and crying. The yOgi who told the world that Love is Lord shiva felt he would remove their suffering by His grace. Realizing that only if mUlan came alive the cows would get consoled, he, a splendid sidhdha fortified his body and introduced his soul into the body of the herdsman through air. He rose as thirumUlar. The cows relieved of their gloom licked him in joy, went around happily grazing on the riverbanks. The merciful n^AyanAr safeguarded them till they grazed enough and returned after drinking water from the river. As the sun red in the heat went to have a dip in the ocean the cows thinking of their calves started walking back towards the village. The sage who showed a supreme path to the world calmly followed them to chAththanUr.

He waited till all the cows entered their respective houses. Wife of the herdsman mUlan saw him delaying to enter the house. Anxiously she went to touch him, but he refused saying there was no relation between them and went into a common mutt. The lady who had no offspring or relatives could not sleep throughout the night. She cried and lamented to the elderly people of the town about his new behavior. Those people of well analyzing capacity told the girl that he was neither mad nor had he any other association. He staying beyond the skewedness of mind, in the crystal clear shivayOga, in the height of glory unmeasurable for any human would not fit into relationship she had, they advised her. The sage thirumUla n^AyanAr in such a wonderful state got up and returned the way he came following the cowherd. The sage could not find the body he had kept it safe. He realized through his vision of spiritual wisdom that it was God's grace that way in order to give in thamiz through his words the supreme AgamAs that the Cool-matted haired Lord gave for this world to follow and get enlightened. He explained to the relatives who continued behind him the non-continuation of the bonds. After they all left thinking the holy feet of the Lord of Bull flag n^AyanAr went with great enthusiasm to salute the Supreme at thiruvAvaduthuRai. Sitting under the shade of arachu tree in ultimate shivayOgam he gave the holy thiruman^dhiram (1) a marvelous medicine for the illness of incarnation. Starting from 'onRavan thAnE' he completed the thamiz garland of three thousand flowers for the Lord who charmingly wears the horn of the boar. Staying on this earth for those three thousand years, a blessed time for the upbringing of humankind he reached in non-separation the holy feet of the Almighty. Let the coveted wisdom of shiva yOga of thirumUla n^AyanAr stay in the mind.